O’Donnell and Turnbull suggest inquiry into politicians, not civil servants

It is not often that I find myself agreeing with civil servants especially those at the DWP, however the following article strikes an accord with many as I am sure many more will agree Government is fast becoming defunct in purpose indeed we have seen many draconian policies that do nothing of any good for it’s citizens.

I have long held the belief that parliament should be centred around the rich culture of it’s people with a broad-base of that culture sitting as MP’s but what we have is a male dominated commons from elite education that is no good for anyone and breeds everything that is bad in society as they do not act for the better good of it’s citizens and put there own wealth and lifestyle above everything else.

During this coalition I have read countless articles off absolute dismay from patients not get the right care to police acting in a violent manner; I mean what the hell is all that about! Then we have the welfare reform act where citizens are made homeless through no fault on there part, poverty where we see citizens destitute and in hunger forced to demean themselves by having to use food-banks for there very survival.

And who is the cause of all this? One David Cameron and his Cabinet of Ministers no one else and in a way I feel gutted and sorry for the civil servants forced to do what ordinarily they would never dream off in order to fight for there very own survival because yes they all just like us have families too.

Written by Joshua Chambers on 3 June 2014

An inquiry needs to be held into the political process and the flaws in our system of government, two former cabinet secretaries have told Civil Service World. Their call comes after some politicians and other key figures have called for an inquiry into the future of the civil service.

Lord O’Donnell said: “I do not favour an inquiry into the civil service, but would welcome an inquiry into government.” He called for an examination of ten issues, including how to raise the status of politics; how to help ministers prepare for their roles; how to improve the way that Parliament is perceived; and how to reduce disparities in the size of constituencies.

His predecessor, Lord Turnbull, backed his suggestion, saying: “I am cynical enough to believe that the politicians have deliberately promoted this idea [of an inquiry into the civil service] in order to exculpate themselves” and avoid being blamed for the government’s delivery failures.

“Decoding that the focus of the inquiry is into the civil service already prejudges the answer as it implies that the problems of government are down to the shortcomings in the civil service,” he added.

The pair were responding to CSW questions into the value of holding an inquiry into the civil service, submitted as part of a special report considering the need for and possible content of such an inquiry. The special report also gives the views of key figures such as government’s lead non-executive Lord Browne, former Cabinet Office permanent secretary Ian Watmore, and former head of the Scottish civil service Sir John Elvidge.

Another former cabinet secretary, Lord Butler, responded by calling for regional pay for civil servants. “I think that pay has to be varied around the country, and in high cost areas like the South-East, pay has to be higher than areas where the cost of living is lower,” he said.